Postdoctoral Scholar Research Associate

About the role

The Dr. Rael Cahn’s Meditation and Psychedelic Therapy Lab, within the USC Department of Psychiatry at the USC Brain and Creativity Institute, seeks a postdoctoral fellow to join the ARPA-H EVIDENT TA-1 EVIDENT-MAP / SENTINEL project. This clinical research program investigates the mechanisms and outcomes of psychedelic-assisted therapy and contemplative practice.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a trained therapist and co-facilitator in psilocybin-assisted therapy sessions, guiding participants through preparation, dosing, and integration phases within an IRB-approved protocol.
• Teach and co-facilitate mindfulness and meditation-based sessions for study participants in individual and group settings.
• Conduct quantitative and qualitative data analysis and contribute to study design.
• Collaborate with the Principal Investigator to develop and document the meditation-assisted psychedelic therapy intervention protocol and ensure adherence across the therapy team.
• First- and co-author empirical and theoretical papers; contribute to grant writing and protocol development.
• Mentor undergraduate and graduate students.

Requirements

• Doctoral degree in clinical psychology (PhD or PsyD).
• Licensed or license-eligible as a clinical psychologist in the State of California.
• Familiarity with clinical trial methodology and statistical analysis.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Practices a high level of integrity and honesty in maintaining confidentiality.

Qualifications

• Prior experience or strong interest in psychedelic research, mindfulness-based interventions, or consciousness science.
• Experience teaching meditative interventions across secular and classical contemplative traditions.
• Neuroimaging experience welcome but not required.
• A cooperative, team-oriented attitude and effective facilitation skills in various settings.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior publications in peer-reviewed journals in the same or related field.
• Familiarity with clinical trial methodology and statistical analysis.
• Neuroimaging experience welcome but not required.